Obituary of Gatha McCall

Gatha Mae McCall, age 96 passed away Thurs., May 3, 2018 in Big Rapids, MI. A Funeral Mass will be held on Monday, May 7, 2018 at 10:00 AM at St. Michael Catholic Church, Remus, MI with Father Tom Boufford, Celebrant. Visitation will be held from 9:00 AM until the time of Mass. Burial will follow at St. Michael’s Cemetery. Gatha was born in Remus on May 18, 1921, the daughter of Frank and Lyda (Harrigan) Hessel.

Tonight we lost our mom. She was only 15 days shy of turning 97. She was welcomed at the gates of heaven by her loving husband Jay. He had waited a long time for her to arrive for he passed soon after they celebrated their 25th Anniversary. Mom had a good life and worked very hard for what she had. Her working years included the Remus Creamery, Diehm's Store in Remus and many years at Hitachi/General Electric in Edmore. She even was able to shake the hand of Ronald Reagan there long before he thought of becoming our President. She loved to travel and had several wonderful trips out to the East Coast, out West, many to Canada and a special trip to Hawaii. She loved spending time with our second family in Canada with her special friend Eileen. She and her sister Barb owned a place in Palmetto Fl. where her brother and sisters also had a place. Many winters were spent there enjoying the sunshine. Her other hobbies included knitting, crocheting, quilting, and making several wedding arrangements. She also had her own ceramic shop where she loved working with clay. She loved her family and loved having visits from them especially from her great grandchildren. We would like to express a special thank you to Duane and Mary Karcher, Metron of Big Rapids staff and also the staff of Hospice of Big Rapids. Gatha is survived by daughters, Carol (James) Knapp of Howard City, Charlene (Kenneth) Gardner of Mt. Morris;sisters, Lois Johnson, Elaine (Dick) Karcher, many grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Ralph in 1973; her parents, one sister, Barbara Walkington; brothers, Max, Dolos, Raymond, Jack and Willoughby Hessel.

Those desiring may direct contributions to the family, envelopes will be available at church.